The FIA, Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) and Le Mans Endurance Management (LMEM) announced changes to the 2026 World Endurance Championship (WEC) schedule. After weeks of speculation, WEC confirmed on Tuesday the championship will finish in Europe. With the conflict in the Middle East still ongoing with no end in sight, the Qatar and Bahrain rounds scheduled for October and November respectively are officially canceled.
Replacing the races in the Middle East will be Barcelona and Monza. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya will host WEC for the first time when it replaces Bahrain on October 18. Barcelona, a regular on the European Le Mans Series calendar, also represents Spain’s first race in the WEC era. To find the most recent world championship sportscar racing in Spain, you have to go back to the 1980s. The Jarama Circuit, just outside of Madrid, hosted a World Sportscar Championship round back in 1989.
Monza hosted WEC from 2021–23 before being replaced by Imola
Following Barcelona, Monza will take the November 8 date from Bahrain and serve as the season finale. Monza returns to the WEC calendar for the first time since 2023.
Of note, both races will be 6 hours in length. This is important because the Middle East races are extended distance, hence worth extra points. With both races being only 6 hours, standard points will be awarded. Therefore, instead of 76 points being available in the last two races, only 50 points will be available.
Revised 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship Calendar
April 19: 6 Hours of Imola
May 9: 6 Hours of Spa
June 13–14: 24 Hours of Le Mans
July 11: 6 Hours of São Paulo
September 6: Lone Star Le Mans – COTA/Austin, TX (6 Hours)
September 27: 6 Hours of Fuji
October 18: 6 Hours of Barcelona
November 8: 6 Hours of Monza
